Bengaluru labs find lead, arsenic in Maggi within limits

Bengaluru: Lead and arsenic levels in Maggi noodles samples tested in Bengaluru are within the permissible limits while there is no clarity on Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), a Karnataka food safety standards official on Wednesday.

“There is no issue about the products (Maggi samples) analysed in the state,” said H. Shiva Kumar, joint director, food safety and standards, Karnataka.

However, there is confusion over MSG. “There is no clarity on Glutamic acid…The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has not instructed us to test for Glutamic acid,” added Kumar.

“Like we have permissible limit of 2.5 parts per million for lead, we don’t have a permissible limit for Glutamic acid, so they have not asked us for Glutamic acid,” added Kumar.

As many 26 Maggi samples received from across Karnataka were tested by two laboratories based in Bengaluru.

The laboratories are Robust Material Technology Pvt. Ltd. and TUDSUV, a South Asian laboratory with its main branch in Pune.